The course taken to fulfill the Service Learning requirement was Information Literacy and Research – MAE 111. For much of the semester, the curriculum involved learning the needs, access, evaluation, use, impact and ethical/legal aspects of information, and to the application of information literacy and research in the fields of mechanical and aerospace engineering. From this class, I was responsible for doing a lot of individual and group assignments to test my knowledge on the concepts, to which concern the overall ethics and aspects behind information being used for engineering in society. I have gained so much on proper research and standard ethics when completing those assignments on my own. As the semester progressed, my class and I were assigned group projects. Each group had to select topics that are related to already established scientific topics for closer analysis, to which would allow for groups to methodically construct physical prototypes. Following this, we would come together and plan to sponsor and advertise the prototype and work for elementary school students who will come later in the semester to work on physically in preparation for Engineering Students’ Day. Incoming students will be taught of the concepts behind the projects and will construct their own prototypes as we guide them. Hence, the reasoning for this course revolving around service learning.

For my group, our project to present and later have the kids construct a prototype, would be a shock absorber technology in the form of a lunar craft for landing. This was where the more exciting prospects of this course began to emerge. Having done this, I felt ecstatic when this course involves collaboration, creativity, planning, and designing actual prototypes, of which engineers work collectively on and for the interest of society. Of course, using what was learned from the course on information literacy, we of course had to commit to doing research and planning to help make viable prototypes that we could present and later use. To fulfill the service learning for the Engineering Students Day, each member of the group had to contribute to ensuring that a sample prototype was made, a PowerPoint was made to display the necessary information, advertisement was made, and supplies were retrieved. When preparing to present for Engineering Students’ Day, there was much that needed to be done, as well as some challenges. One of the challenges was engaging the students so that they would learn about the concepts behind shock absorbers and apply them when building their own prototypes.